Common sense New Year investing advice for everybody

The best gift I can think of to give the investors on your holiday list is a little bit of investing wisdom to help them weather the markets in the New Year. Believe it or not, common sense kind of advice about what to buy, what to sell, when to do either, why even begin and concerns about future market results can all be easily quelled. That is, if you believe.

The No-Load Fund Analyst monthly publication is clearly one of the best reads mutual fund investors can find. Published by Litman Gregory, it’s been around for 25 years. In the December issue, in addition to current market commentary, Ken Gregory and his editors have published a number of previously written pieces about investment lessons learned throughout past decades.

Here are a few snippets from an April 1995 column titled “Investment Lessons From the Front Line” with info in it that’s as relevant today as it was 20 years ago:

Here are some of the bullet points included in that piece:

•”Be patient with great managers.

•There is no single correct approach to investing.

•Be wary of attributing too much attention to short-term performance.

•Learn from history but also understand that history doesn’t always repeat.

•Think like a contrarian, but don’t always act like one.

•Be willing to make mistakes.

•Don’t be too influenced by media know-it-alls….”

Learn more about the Litman Gregory story and their approach to money management at: litmangregory.com.

To download the December 2014 issue of the No-Load Fund Analyst visit: http://www.nlfa.com. (Login required.)